Myron Goldsmith (19181996)
Dates of Interview:
July 25, 26; September 7; October 5, 1986 Location of Interview: Goldsmith's home in Wilmette, Illinois Interviewer: Betty J. Blum Length of Transcript: 152 pages View Online
Biographical Summary Goldsmith was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1918. In 1939 he received his bachelor's degree in architecture from Chicago's Armour Institute of Technology, where he studied under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe during his senior year. Goldsmith worked in various architectural offices in Chicago until 1944, when he joined the Army Corps of Engineers. Upon his discharge in 1946, Goldsmith returned to Chicago to work in Mies's office, while finishing his Master's thesis at the Illinois Institute of Technology (formerly Armour Institute of Technology). Inspired by the pioneering work of Italian architect and engineer Pier Luigi Nervi, Goldsmith received a Fulbright grant in 1953 to study with Nervi in Rome. After returning to the United States in 1955, Goldsmith joined the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. In 1958 Goldsmith tranferred to SOM's Chicago office and became a partner in the firm in 1967, distinguishing himself as a master of both architecture and engineering. Among Goldsmith's most praised designs were the United Airlines Hangar and Flight Kitchen at the San Francisco International Airport, the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope at the Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California, and the unbuilt Ruck-a-Chucky Bridge, all charaterized by sculptural expressions of form and function. Goldsmith maintained an active teaching and lecturing schedule throughout his career and was honored through numerous awards and exhibitions. He was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1972. Goldsmith died in Wilmette, Illinois, in 1996. Interview Highlights Early experiences that led to a career in architecture; study under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology; the Army Corps of Engineers; Mies's approach to clients and projects; social implications of work being done in Mies's office; Myron's thesis: "The Tall Building and the Effects of Scale"; 50 x 50 house project; Kitt Peak Solar Telescope and Observatory; study with Pier Luigi Nervi; jobs at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in San Francisco, 1955-58; types of projects and work at SOM; Fazlur Kahn; the architectural establishment; Goldsmith as a teacher.